People's Education Society to expand in Vidarbha with Nagpur as hub, seeks 15 acres from state

The People's Education Society (PES), founded by Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, is set to expand its work in Vidarbha, with Nagpur as the main centre of the expansion. The society has asked the state government for 15 acres of land within the city.

It has also sought 150 to 200 acres in the future to build an educational campus. The society has further said it expects an annual grant of Rs 500 crore from the state government for its growth.

These details were given at a press conference by the society's president and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale. Athawale said the society's governing board has taken the initiative to carry Babasaheb's legacy of educational work forward in Vidarbha on a large scale. The society will try to ensure that meritorious students from the deprived and Dalit communities and every section of society get opportunities for good education.

Athawale said Babasaheb founded the People's Education Society in Mumbai in 1944. Its main aim is to enable deprived and neglected sections to progress through good education. Over the past eight decades, the society has spread to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Kolhapur and Bengaluru.

More than one lakh students are studying today in 43 educational institutions across its various branches.

The society's vice-president and former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Dr Sukhadeo Thorat was present at the press conference. Also with him were Anna Bansode, Dr Vasudev Gade, Vishwas Patil, Baburao Bave, Arvind Sontakke, Chandrashekhar Kamble and Vidarbha head Dr Sunil Khapde.

Dr Thorat said funds for the development of education in Vidarbha will be raised through the Central government, the state government and CSR. The society intends to offer people a range of opportunities, from school to engineering, medical and paramedical education.

According to Thorat, courses in new-age fields such as digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) will also be given top priority. These will be planned with the help of a Vidarbha committee and experts in these subjects.